EDITORIAL - Danville Walker got it wrong

We are surprised that Mr Danville Walker didn't see the potential for ethical conflict and doesn't believe that one could arise. So, he intends to push ahead with his plan to "donate", in the heat of the political campaign, in a constituency in which he is a candidate, vehicles to the local police.

What would be more surprising is if the commissioner of police, who accepted the gifts yesterday, should deploy them to the Mandeville police under the banner of Mr Walker's facilitation, considering the circumstances of the offer.

Of course, we question neither Mr Walker's integrity nor the nobility of his action, but context, in the circumstance, is important.

Until last week, Mr Walker, a former director of elections, was Jamaica's commissioner of customs. He resigned his job to contest the Manchester Central parliamentary seat for the governing Jamaica Labour Party against the incumbent, Mr Peter Bunting. That two Jamaicans of apparent competence and acknowledged achievement are engaged in the process is, on the face of it, good for politics in Jamaica. But that either man may be good and decent entitles neither to operate by an honour system, while the rest are judged by specified, and often written, codes.

In this case, it was disclosed that Mr Walker would donate two motorbikes and a motor car to the police in Mandeville, which is part of the Manchester Central constituency. No one has questioned the need.

Mr Bunting rightly, in our view, questioned the ethics of the police's acceptance of the gift. He branded Mr Walker's action "partisan gimmickry".

Guarding against partisanship

It has turned out that Mr Walker is not himself paying for the vehicles. Instead, he approached an automotive dealership to donate them to the police in order to enhance their mobility and assist in the fight against crime. In Mr Walker's view, Mr Bunting is doing a bit of a whinge.

Mr Walker, however, would be aware that how this was sold, and publicly perceived, as a gift from himself which, in the context of the time, could put the Mandeville police in an invidious position should they be asked to respond to complaints by or against him or his campaign workers. Either way, the police run the risk of being presumed partisan.

Few would believe other than that Mr Walker's approach to the auto dealership for the gift was predicated on his candidacy for the constituency, with the aim of gaining political advantage among voters. Given the timing, the red lights have expectedly flashed.

This might have been approached differently.